Me, Ben And Jerry

BURLINGTON, Vt.--This just in from the Harvard Sports Information office:

The Bright Center will be permanently moving to Burlington, Vermont.

Alright, alright, I was just joking, but if it were at all possible, I'm not the only one who would approve of such a move.

Have you ever been there? Then you know what I mean.

The Harvard men's hockey team--it knows EXACTLY what I mean.

In Burlington, no one asks "Are you going to the hockey game?"

They are already there.

One thousand tickets went on sale Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. Would you be there at 4:30 in the morning? They were! They sold out in 40 minutes. Do you think sections 11 and 12 in Bright even sell out in 40 minutes?

ATTENTION: This is NOT Durham, N.C. This is Burlington, VT.

So the students aren't in session. The barn (and what a descriptive word that is, "barn," with all the animal noises it connotes) won't be loud, right?

Noooo--better bring your earplugs, sister.

Keep in mind that Vermont is a team that went a couple centuries straight without losing a game at home when this same arena fit only 1,800 people (it now seats 4,035). Now the Catamount skaters can even growl with the best of them.

My high school English teacher, a former Vermont player himself, is the assistant coach there, and perhaps said it best: "This is your first time here? Oh, boy..."

But we're talking about Harvard hockey, the team that rises to the occasion when crossing state lines. Friday night was no different, as Harvard shocked Burlington, Ben and Jerry, even my English teacher in a 5-2 victory.

"Our team really feeds on that crowd...everyone gets excited here" Head Coach Ronn Tomassoni said.

Just look around: a student section thirty rows deep and rising at an unhealthy angle behind the opposition goalie.

Look again: a band with four--count 'em four--drummers to send the crowd into a frenzy.

Have you been to an AC/DC concert? Then you've been to Gutterson Field House.

During the game, you could just tell the difference in the Crimson's play:

Harvard's defense: raising their physical play to a level not seen since Tyson-Spinks. Peter McLaughlin let his pads do the talking with two French-speaking forwards whom he couldn't understand anyway.

Harvard's offense: peppering Catamount goalie Tim Thomas enough times for him toexperience B.U. deja vu (a 10-1 Vermont defeat).

And what about Tripp Tracy having the reputation as a big-game goalie?

Keep in mind that the crowd chanted his name even before the puck was dropped.

"We all seem to play well here," Tracy said. "The crowd helps me stay more focused."

But would Tripp rather play the big games up in rip-roaring Gutterson Field House, or back at the friendly confines in Cambridge?

After a bit of hesitation, Tracy answered: Gutterson. "I like playing against the odds," he said.

Good to hear, since Vermont will certainly not be the last harsh crowd Tracy will face this year. But face it, Crimson fans: the gauntlet has been thrown down.

You in Bright section 12 have a tough act to follow.